Seal



Nov. s, 1935. I A. M. MILLER 2,o2o;19s

SEAL

Filed March 15, 1934 INVENTOR.

HLEXANDEE M. MILLER,

Patented Nov. 5, 1935 PATENT OFFICE SEAL Alexander M. Miller, Riverside,Calif. Application March 15, 1934, Serial No. 715,734

1 Claim.

This invention relates to self-locking seals, and same is particularlybut not necessarily directed to seals of the type intended primarily foruse in connection with measuring instruments, such as meters or thelike.

An important novel feature of the invention resides in the provision ofa highly effective form of resilient shackle, the co-operable limbs ofwhich are designed to co-aot with the casing of the seal to positivelyprevent the seal from being broken ortampered with without detection.

Another object is to provide a simple and inexpensive form of easinghaving shackle lock- M ing means formed as an integral part thereof.

A still further object is to provide a seal employing a shackle havingcol-operable spring branches, one of which is formed as a continua-'tion of the other and having permanent connec-' tion with the casing andwhose other branch may be readily threaded through the hasp eye or thelike of the instrument to be sealed and operatively adjusted into thecasing and to, coact with the first named branch in a manner that willsecurely guard against the seal being broken.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangements of parts which willhereinafter be fully described and particularly pointed out in thehereto appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a single and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationsare necessarily made to the precise struotural details thereinexhibited, but that changes,

alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may beresorted to when desired.

In the said drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the seal, showing the same in a normalrelative position of its parts such as they assume before the seal hasbeen associated with the instrument to be protected;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the seal, showing the co-operablebranches of the shackle operatively secured within the casing;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a plan View of the blank from which the casing is formed.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a substantiallyrectangular casing Ill and a co-operable shackle H. r

The casing I ll is preferably formed from a single blank of sheet metal,as shown in Figure 6 of the drawing. Said blank is stamped to providecompanion walls l2 and I3, which, when the blank is folded over onitself on the transverse line M, are adapted to occupy positions inparallel relation to each other. The marginal portion of the wall I2 isformed to provide a seaming flange 15 which, when turned over and upsetuponportions of the wall it, as shown in Figure 1, functions to hold thetwo walls l2 and I3 operatively related to each other. It provides inthe casing structure a simple, yet positively acting, means for holdingthe casing fully set up and in a manner that will not permit the wallsto be opened relatively without detection. At the termini of thetransverse line of fold of the casing blank and formed in said. blankare guide openings Ma for the parallel branches of my improved form ofshackle, the construction of which I will describe presently. The wallI3 is up struck to provide a transverse guard l5 and a longitudinalseries of substantially dove-tail portions It, the small end ll of oneof which joins the large end of the next adjacent portion as shown inFigure 2. The construction is, therefore, such that the guard I5 isformed with longitudinally alined locking shoulders l8l8, and. at thejuncture of the small end of one of the aforesaid portions I6 with thelarge end of the companion portion l6 are horizontally alined lockingshoulders Ill-49. The base of the inner portion [6 is formed with acontinuous shoulder 20. It will be appreciated from the description ofthe parts last above referred to that the shoulders Ill-I8, l9--|9and-2i] are disposed in relatively parallel, spaced-apart positions withrespect to each other and in such relationship to straight lines drawnthrough the openings Ma as to cause these to reside in the effectivepaths of movement of the locking ends of the shackle H. The broad flatfaces I60. of the portions I6 (Figure 5) are adapted to be firmlypressed against the inner surface of the wall l2, thus making itnecessary that the walls l2 and 13 be operatively spaced apart from eachother and.

of the guard IE will function in a manner corresponding with that of thefaces Ili The shackle l I consists of a single piece of heavy gaugespringy steel wire, the same bent on itself to provide a loop 2i, ashort leg or branch 22 and a long leg or branch 23. The free end of eachof the said legs or branches 22 and 23 is formed with a resilient loop24, the same having a short extension 25 on which is formed an inwardlyextending long locking dog 26. Let it be assumed that initially theshort leg 22 assumes the released position shown in Figure 1, and thatthe long leg 23 at that time occupies a position in the casing where itsdog 26 engages under the adjacent shoulder [8 of the guard l5. Now itfollows that when the short leg 22 is inserted in the casing and pressure advanced thereagainst in a longitudinal direction, the dog 26 ofsaid short arm will be forced past the inclined face I5b of the guardand as soon as the dog escapes said face, and stress is released fromsaid dog, the latter will engage under the adjacent shoulder [8 of saidguard. Simultaneously therewith, the position of the long arm may beshifted, if desired, and in so doing its dog 26 may be forced to engagewith either the shoulder 19 of the next adjacent portion I6 or it mayeven be forced to a position where it will effectively engage. with theshoulder 20, depending upon how large a shackle loop one may wish toleave exposed from the open end of the casing. If desired, the legs 22and 23 may be singly operated and their dogs made to engage withselected co-acting locking shoulders within the casing, or they may besimultaneously operated.

The construction of the shackle is such that one leg thereof is normallypermanently connected with the casing l0 and the other leg, so to speak,disconnected therefrom, and the latter leg can be manipulated andoperatively inserted into said casing so as to operatively co-act withthe first said leg and effectively lock the shackle in a position ofintended adjustment.

The relatively diverging sides I of the portions Iii-l6 serve to cam thedogs 26 in a manner to first tension or stress same and to subsequentlyenable same to freely engage under their co-acting shoulders of thelocking means of said casing. The length of the guard I5 is preferablysuch that should an attempt be made to release the dogs from theirco-acting shoulders, it could not possibly be successful.

Should an attempt be made to release the dogs by pulling upon the loopof the shackle, it manifestly follows that the greater the forcevapplied upon the loop, the greater becomes the binding action of thedogs 26 against the co-acting looking shoulders of the casing.

What is claimed is:

A seal comprising a casing having a wall formed with a plurality oflongitudinal rows of internal shoulders, and a shackle formed from asingle length of springy material and provided with a pair of legsconnected with each other by a flexible loop of the same material,either or both of which can be adjusted to relatively differentpositions in the casing, the free extremities of said legs being ofidentical construction and each having a resilient loop from which isextended a locking dog for engagement with any one of the shoulders ofan adjacent one of the aforementioned rows.

ALEXANDER M. MILLER.

